James Milner has given an interesting interview to the official website in which he’s explained how Liverpool must be better than how they ended the season to secure the Premier League again in 2020/21.
The Reds won the title with seven games to spare, and it’s no surprise that our intensity slightly dropped off at this point and we slipped up on a few occasions in games we should have secured the three points – most notably v Burnley and Arsenal.
Milner has joked how Trent Alexander-Arnold thinks winning is a doddle – given he’s been incredibly successful since becoming a first-team regular – but that the whole squad hates losing and will not rest on their laurels going into next term.
“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] think it’s absolutely easy! He just turns up and wins trophies every year! But I can assure you, with the amount of years I’ve had in my career, it’s not that easy. The amount of training sessions in the rain, the times when you’re injured and that sick feeling you get when you lose a game or even a five-a-side at Melwood,” he said. “We’re shocking losers, all of us. When you win something, you have to enjoy it. That’s what it’s all there for, that’s the hard work and you look at the teams you have beaten to get there – it’s an incredible achievement.
“But it’s a short career and you don’t want to waste a season or two seasons thinking, ‘We were that good a team but we took our eye off the ball and didn’t deliver.’ That would be criminal and something we definitely don’t want to look back at.
“We have a couple of weeks to enjoy this and enjoy being champions and then, as soon as next season starts, it’s down to the fans to carry on enjoying it and enjoy being champions for us. We have to do our job, get on that field and be even better. If we’re at the level we’re at now next season, it won’t be good enough.”
Milner still has two years left on his contract, but will likely play an increasingly bit-part role until his eventual departure.
His fitness is incredible, but he lacks speed and with the emergence of Naby Keita and Curtis Jones, his chances of getting picked in his favoured central midfield position has slimmed.
Trent is at the other end of his career, and we hope he does find winning things as easy as Milner says!
So far, aged just 21, he’s a Premier, European and World champion – and is the best right-back on the planet.
It’s scary to think about the kind of player he could develop into.